With Wes Craven returning to the writer/director combo for My Soul to Take, it seems appropriate to take a look back at the glorious career of Wes Craven.
Remember the last time that Craven wrote and directed a movie? It produced a masterpiece, and fans have been aching for him to do it again. With My Soul to Take, fans get a full-fledged Wes Craven piece of cinema, and it's so close you can taste it.
Not that it needs to be reiterated, but Wes Craven is a master of horror -- a title only a few have every properly earned.
So, how did Craven earn this title? Well, it's the secret of all horror movies, you've got to have one key ingredient: The villain, the monster, the character that sends people home with images they can't get out of their head.
Craven has had his hands on a lot of great ones, either as a writer or director -- but who is the best?
Here's the list, and let the debate begin.
Honorable Mention: Unnamed Evil from Pulse
Wes wrote a movie that went under the radar, partly because it wasn't a complete film, and had a lot of issues on-screen, but maybe because people didn't realize Wes Craven wrote it. Irregardless, one thing that wasn't a problem, was the plot and its main villain, the "unnamed evil". For those who missed out on Pulse, a horrible monster is created when new radio/cellular frequencies were opened up, hoping for expansion of our ever increasing need for WiFi and cell tower data consumption. When these frequencies were discovered, something else was too... something evil. Kristen Bell stars, and this was just before she became a fairly well-known actress. On the page, Craven scores with yet another villain/monster that is steeped in that "it could be true" vain of villains.
#5. Jackson Rippner (Red Eye)
Starting off the list with a non-monster may seem like a travesty, but Jackson Rippner is one of Craven's best villains. Perfectly played by Cillian Murphy, Rippner is an extremely dashing and charming man who strikes up a rather casual conversation with a fellow bar-mate (Rachel McAdams). After a few smooth lines are shunned away, Rippner retreats into the darkness, only to re-emerge as a real nightmare of a passenger aboard this red eye flight. Rippner works as a villain because Craven created a character (on-screen) we all fear -- that kind-faced stranger who gives us the chills. Also, his name is Rippner. He doesn't even need a cool nickname.
#4. The Hills Have Eyes Savages
Most movie-goers only interaction with the savages from The Hills Have Eyes is from the two remakes, both of which were decent in their own right. It was the original The HIlls Have Eyes in 1977 that really captured the magic behind "the savages". Craven has a knack for creating characters that aren't some strange monster from the deep, but a quasi-realistic situation that plays on people's real life fears and nightmares. Ever worried about breaking down in the middle of nowhere? Run into a few strange people who have been out of contact with civilization for way too long? Everyone has that fear, and the savages are the ultimate nightmare, realized on-screen.
#3. Mom and Dad (The People Under the Stairs)
There were two movies in Craven's career that focused on criminals. The Last House on the Left, which has the villains put in the ultimate revenge scenario (They kill two young girls then end up in one of the girls' house. Once the parents find out their guests for the night are their daughter's killer, it's revenge time.) The People Under the Stairs does something a bit different. Start out following two young crooks who are busy trying to make a quick buck, and have them walk in the wrong house. Craven has a way of making the "bad" in life, seem quite powerless against life's "evil". Mom and Dad from The People Under the Stairs are two siblings who are obssesed with finding the perfect child for their sick family fantasy. The hunters become the hunted, and Craven reminds us who to really fear.
#2. Ghostface Killer (Scream Series)
Ghostface Killer represents everything about the horror genre in one neat, tidy package. He's faceless (well, as much as you can be), yet retains some sort of human quality. Worst of all, Ghostface new all the rules of horror. His greatest strength wasn't a power, or even a fear of him, it was his intelligence. While Craven only directed Scream, it was his direction in Scream that proved the greatest and most terrifying power a villain can have is psychological. His actions were the master plan, causing a chain reaction of fear and copy cat killers that have spawned the sequels to the original Scream. That's the genius of Craven's direction, it wasn't about the man behind the mask, that was just a simple story of a killer, but the mask itself created an icon. Only Craven could have brought that to life. Now, with Scream IV around the corner, it seems that the Ghostface Killer has already won, even if the original human incarnation didn't make it past the end credits of the original. But even Ghostface can't touch this next guy...
#1. Freddy Krueger
Much in the same way that Ghostface Killer is able to continually live on in concept and idea, the fear and power of Freddy Krueger extends beyond his actual presence. His genius is his ability to strike fear at your most vulnerable moment. Then, take that moment and imagine you have to do it every day, for an extended period of time. Yes, when we dream, Freddy makes us scream. No other character has the psychological edge that Krueger does. In fact, Krueger can go toe-to-toe with any horror villain ever, and probably come out on top. Wes Craven's best movies featured Freddy, A Nightmare on Elm Street and New Nightmare, and even spawned a remake of the 1984 classic, which did pretty well. In fact, one of the criticisms of the remake was that it didn't stay as true to Craven's original incarnations of Freddy. It seems no one can scare like Freddy, and no one can do Krueger like Wes. How could he not be #1, he attacks in your dreams... how do you counter that? Let's be honest, we all know that Freddy Vs. 5-Hour Energy is coming to theaters soon, further proving that you can stop that 2:30 feeling, but you can't stop Freddy.
So ends the countdown. Opinions may vary, and everyone should let their favorite/best Wes Craven villains be known in the comment section. That's what it's there for!
Craven's new effort, My Soul to Take, is in theaters Friday, October 8th.
Check out the "killer" trailer.
